Australian Open 2012: Jan. 29 Scores and Results Summary

Two exciting weeks of top-notch tennis at the 2012 Australian Open came to an unforgettable conclusion on Sunday, as Novak Djokovic outlasted Rafael Nadal in the longest Grand Slam singles final in the history of professional tennis.

The top two players in men's tennis battled back-and-forth for five sets across nearly six hours on the court at Rod Laver Arena before Djokovic emerged victorious, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5, with his fifth-career major championship in seven attempts and his third at Melbourne Park.

This, after the Djoker needed nearly five hours to oust Andy Murray on Friday to advance to Sunday's final.

Djokovic was his typical, jubilant self after the match, if not even more so, ripping off his shirt and celebrating with his contingent once the tilt came to an end, at 1:37 a.m. local time.

The victory was Djokovic's seventh in a row over Nadal in a tournament final. These two met six times with titles on the line in 2011, with the final two battles coming at Wimbledon and the US Open. 

As for Nadal, he became the first man in the Open Era to lose three consecutive Grand Slam finals, all to Djokovic. His 80-minute win in the first set took almost as the entirety of the women's final, which saw Victoria Azarenka annihilate Maria Sharapova in two sets.

The only other action on Sunday saw American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Romanian Horia Tecau take down Russia's Elena Vesnina and India's Leander Paes in the mixed doubles final in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 10-3.

It was the first Grand Slam victory for both Mattek-Sands and Tecau. The 38-year-old Paes was playing in his second final in as many days, after claiming the men's doubles trophy with Radek Stepanek on Saturday.

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